Manchester City has been fined over £2m by the Premier League for their 22 instances of delaying kick-offs and restarts in the past two seasons.
The club acknowledged violating Premier League regulations by frequently delaying kick-off or resuming play after half-time without proper justification.
The Premier League champions were fined £390,000 due to eight restart delays in the 2022–23 season.
During the 2023–24 season, 14 breaches resulted in fines totaling £1.7m, 11 delays at the start of the second half, and four delays at the beginning of the match.
The consequences spanned from a caution for the initial infraction versus Crystal Palace on August 27, 2022, to the most significant penalty of £200,000 for a delay lasting two minutes and 46 seconds.
They clinched their fourth consecutive Premier League title on the last day of the season with a 3-1 win over West Ham on 19 May 2024.
During their home match against Newcastle on 19 August 2023, they clinched a 1-0 victory with a delayed kick-off and restart.
According to the Premier League, the club apologized for the breaches and reminded the players and management teams of their responsibilities.
“Rules relating to kick-offs and restarts help ensure the competition’s organization is set at the highest possible professional standard and provide certainty to fans and participating clubs,” it said.
“It also ensures the broadcast of all 380 league matches worldwide is kept to schedule.”
The city has opted not to comment on the matter.
In March 2023, Crystal Palace received a £220,000 fine from the league’s disciplinary commission for causing delays in two games in October 2022, with £70,000 suspended. This marked their 13th and 14th breaches in two seasons.
City is expected to face a Premier League disciplinary commission later this year, where they will confront 115 charges for allegedly breaking financial regulations, some of which date back to 2009.
Part of those charges explicitly connect to sponsor payments from Abu Dhabi to the City.
Despite the accusations, the club vehemently denies them and asserts the presence of compelling evidence.
